A Kiss in the Rain
by Laguna's twin sister
Summary: "Do you know why rainbows appear?" she asked, her eyes light with innocent cheerfulness. He shook his head as his lips moved slightly, unable to resist her infectious smile. Seeing the blithe curiosity his eyes, she then moved closer and whispered, "because magical things happen in the rain." (Susukihotaru x Riken)


Disclaimers: I don't own Otome Youkai Zakuro

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><p><span><strong>A Kiss in the Rain<strong>

It would be impossible to get back to the Youjinsha before sundown, Riken thought grimly, as his eyes scanned the bustling crowd in what he once thought was one of the wider streets in the city. The road was now filled with hawkers and peddlers, brandishing wares from distant lands and foreign shores. The onlookers were also eagerly moving around, both those that joined in the trade and those that were merely curious. He felt his hand itch to grab the sword at his side as he kept his senses on full alert, seeing, hearing and feeling everything around him. After noting for the nth time that everything was in order despite the apparent chaos, he finally unclenched his fists and tried to think things through. He really did not know why he felt so _ill at ease _with the lively activity around him. His early days of being a foot soldier prepared him for moments like this where he had to move with and within a swarm. His towering height aside, he normally did not attract attention in a crowd. Of course, now that he was a uniformed military officer, he likewise had enough air of authority to be left alone. There was thus no reason for him to be bothered by his surroundings. Now that he thought about it, in the countless times he walked through the same path and faced the same crowd, he never felt bothered...

Until today.

"Riken-sama…"

He barely heard her dulcet voice though she nearly shouted his name just to be heard amid the noise. With the alerts switched back on in his mind, he swiftly turned and faced her, his heart skipping several beats at the thought that something may be wrong. He knew she felt uncomfortable around large groups of people and he hated how he could barely do anything to protect her from them. It was in times like this that he wished for a broader back or a sterner stare. It was in times like this that he wished he could vanquish all evil and keep her safe -

- Yet the almost murderous thoughts in his mind were blown away with just one look at her pleasant smile. The only sign of her distress were her flushed cheeks, but it only made her look like a blossom in his eyes.

She stepped in closer and he unconsciously did the same until they were less than an arm's length from each other.

"Riken-sama, everything is fine, do not worry about me," she continued to smile timidly, albeit reassuringly, with her amethyst eyes wholly focused on his. At this, his apprehension faded and his heart skipped several beats yet again, this time for another reason altogether – a reason his mind could not fully fathom but his heart could nevertheless see clearly. It seemed clear in her heart too, for she seemed able to read him even without touching him.

_Touch_

Riken gulped as the thought crossed his mind. She should have known by now, he thought, she must have realized how much he wanted to touch her and feel her touch – how much it was getting harder and harder for him to resist.

_May I touch you?_

His deep sapphire eyes spoke to her and it did nothing to ease the burning sensation in her cheeks. Could she ever be honest with him? As it was, she still could not find the courage to tell him how she had always wanted to reach out to him herself. All she could do was look away.

He reached out his hand within the line of sight of her downcast eyes. "Hold my hand. I don't want to lose you."

She briefly looked up, jolted by his words. Surely he did not mean it the way he said it, Susukihotaru thought as she willed her hand to move. She would soon find out the truth once her hand touches his yet …

"From the crowd, you mean?" She whispered, as if in a trance, while the feelings in his heart reached her own from their clasped hands. She felt the familiar sincerity and warmth that emanated only from him that she could be almost certain that he meant what he said in a way she wanted him to mean it.

_I don't want to lose you._

The faint blush in his unflappable face just confirmed that no matter how recklessly he chose his words, it still would not have been a mere slip as her logic would have her believe.

He grasped her hand tightly in his and continued to move in the crowd, his brisk walk tempered only by shorter strides to help her keep up with him. She bent her head slightly and smiled to herself as she quickened her pace. The tension was completely gone from his shoulders and his aura no longer seemed dark. Perhaps her touch calmed him just as much as his presence made her feel safe? She no longer minded the bustling activity all around her. All she could feel was calmness of Riken's heart and the joy that it brought her heart in turn.

Time stood still as they walked hand in hand in the street that had been made narrow by the sheer number of people that surrounded them. Being with him in such a place made her realize just how curious their situation was. As fate would have it, of all the people present at that place and at that moment, it was the two of them that were put together. It was strange, given that the two of them were poles apart. Besides their glaring physical differences, it was plain to see that he was a human just like the rest of the people that surrounded them, and she was a half-spirit. Yet in all the time she had spent with him, he never appeared to be bothered by that fact. It was perhaps for this reason that she felt less lonesome as she walked closely behind him, as she saw nothing but his back and thought of nothing else but him. They were kindred spirits among a throng of strangers. They looked at each other as though they aren't any different from the rest of the world….or did they? Perhaps it was the other way around? It was such a mystery, Susukihotaru thought when she realized that Riken did not make her feel like she were different and yet he did not make her feel like she were the same as the rest either… he always made her feel as if she truly were specia….

**Run… run! Run!**

She was blindsided by the tension she suddenly felt all around her. She felt their hearts before she heard their shrieks as the people moved in a flurry. To her sensitive ears, loud footsteps sounded like a stampede, while the clashing pots and pans just made the incessant thunder more frightening. The peddlers were shouting incoherent commands to their assistants while the passersby continued to scramble to their feet.

She lost sight of Riken's back and instead saw a flurry about them, with flashes of light piercing through the sky. She felt so overwhelmed that she froze in her steps, thus barely feeling Riken pulling her closer to himself. She was already in his arms with her hands pressed against his torso before she came back to her senses and she felt a different sense of unrest. She looked up and saw his clear azure eyes, so sharp and yet so mild unlike the suddenly gloomy sky. It was then that she felt her heart beating madly in her chest though it was not out of fear but something else.

"Susukihotaru," Riken said firmly as the arm that stretched across her back gripped her tightly. "I am here."

_I would not leave you. I will protect you. _

She saw the promise in his eyes just as she felt the beating of his heart on the palm she placed upon his chest. He occasionally moved and struggled for balance as the pedestrians bumped into him, but his hold stayed true. She stayed secure in his strong arms as she remained sheltered by his broad back. She had no reason to doubt him.

When Riken saw the alarm fade from her eyes, he finally said "The people just panicked because of the sun shower."

She nodded though she barely heard his words as the sudden calm he brought her made her weak in the knees. It was only when he shoved his peaked cap upon her head and lifted her off her feet that she finally gathered her wits. _It was raining! _And Riken was no longer just protecting her from the frenzied crowd; he was likewise shielding her from nature itself.

They just about made it to the archway of a rickety old bridge before the rain finally poured down in torrents. Riken placed Susukihotaru back on her feet, only to subconsciously push her closer to the inner wall, away from the river upon which the rainwater bounced back. He looked up, surveying their temporary shelter and frowned when he noticed the cracks on the wooden planks above them.

"It would hopefully hold through in this rain," he muttered his assessment, mostly to himself, "though I wish it would end before the river spills over and floods."

"Flood?!"

Riken's eyes widened as he heard Susukihotaru's gasped words, unsure of what to make out of it. He looked down and was doubly surprised when he found her hand in midair, inches from his chest in what seemed to be a defensive stance. He had not been aware that he had pinned her to the wall with his large hands still grasping her arms. His back instinctively straightened as he abruptly let go. Without wasting a second, he turned around and faced the river. It dawned on him that she might have been trying to push him away after he inadvertently invaded her space.

"Ah! Riken-sama!" Susukihotaru sputtered as her complexion turned near crimson. "It's not like that! You are… I was just trying to… your coat… the rain…" She moved her head back slightly and looked up. He craned his neck to look behind and finally got a glimpse of her eyes as she peered at him from the rim of his cap. "You shielded me from the rain, you must be soaked, ne?"

He finally exhaled, not knowing he had held his breath in the first place. "I am fine," he closed his eyes, suddenly feeling a great sense of relief wash over him. Yet just the same, he felt moisture trickling from the top of his head, down his chin.

"Ah!" Susukihotaru gasped once more as she stood up on her toes and reached up to place her handkerchief on his head - but her hand only managed to reach the tall man's cheek. Instantly, she felt the familiar warmth that only Riken's heart could exude. He then opened his eyes, unwittingly baring his soul to her.

_It is a mystery … how a touch from you could simply turn the cursed rain into a blessing. _

She felt his thoughts just when her eyes met his sapphire ones.

"…"

He quickly straightened his stance and refocused his gaze upon the river after seeing the understanding dawn in her eyes. He took a few calming breaths as he kept his emotions in check. The least he wanted was to overwhelm Susukihotaru, yet he didn't want to conceal his heart from her either.

"Forgive m-,"

"-No," she then withdrew her hands, realizing that he needed some time to clear his thoughts. "I should not have intruded," she whispered as she stared at her wet handkerchief with a bowed head, "I… I am sorry."

He felt guilt at the sight of her flushed cheeks, thinking to himself how it should be he who should have been embarrassed. Yet just the same, he could not find himself to be sorry for having these thoughts and for letting her see them - after all, she had all the right to see his admiration. As a man who easily fumbled with words, he wondered if his thoughts, as she read them, turned out to be as incoherent as it would sound if he were to say them.

His apprehension only worsened when he saw how she wrung her hands. He had a knack for intimidating people without really trying or even intending to do so. Did his thoughts frighten her? Were his feelings for her displeasing? If only he could…

She was caught off guard when she suddenly found him unbuttoning his top coat. He then knelt on one knee and laid the coat down the ground with the dry side up. He smoothed the coat out, as though it were a carpet and gingerly patted it to make sure there were no sharp objects beneath it.

He then straightened up and faced her albeit still on bended knee. With the same kind expression in his eyes that first time she saw him in that position, he spoke ever so softly, "Please."

He could plainly see the astonishment in her eyes and for a moment he wondered if he made yet another blunder. He couldn't continue embarrassing her (and himself) like this, especially considering how the unrelenting rain continued to pelt the ground. Any hope of returning to the Youjinsha before nightfall that he had entertained had all but disappeared. The least he could do was to keep Susukihotaru safe and comfortable, yet he had been terribly unable to fulfill the latter task as of late.

Riken slightly bowed his head and avoided her gaze, in what appeared to be a moment of disconcertment.

The shade under the bridge did not prevent Susukihotaru from seeing the subtle action. Her clear sight in the darkness gave her the opportunity to win only half the battle. She knew that what she truly needed, but sorely lacked, was the ability to read and _respond_ more quickly to the feelings that he showed. She just realized how it was her hesitation that always gave him the wrong impression. While fate already made it easy for her to read people's hearts, the way she always held back just made her gift seem to go to waste.

"Please excuse me," Susukihotaru murmured, almost in a whisper as she carefully bent down and sat on Riken's coat. Once she moved into a more comfortable position, Riken likewise moved his legs and sat on the ground beside her. The distance between them no longer seemed as great. Yet they both continued to sit silently, without speaking, without touching one another.

"_As you may have noticed, I am not good with words…I would appreciate it if you could read my mind."_

The memory of his voice echoed in her mind. While his uttered words were made so sparingly at that time, his touch nevertheless bared to her the overflowing sincerity in his heart. _Why must I treat him this way? _Susukihotaru berated herself. Here he was always opening up to her, and yet she was the one who always held back and avoided him. She must quickly destroy this wall she needlessly built between them. She must not be afraid… Riken always kept her safe – she must never fear him, never again… she must never be afraid of her feelings for him.

Slowly she reached out and lightly placed her hand over his and absorbed his initial reaction. His surprise faded more quickly than she had anticipated and soon she saw his kind sapphire eyes seek her own. He did not move and just continued to look at her, encouraging her to explore his heart even further.

"Ah…" Riken's back straightened in his seat, his sapphire eyes widening slightly before he abruptly looked to his side. He blinked once, twice, and then he then looked back at her with a lopsided smile on his face.

She faintly noted the shy embarrassment in his heart that for a while she wondered if it wasn't her own heart that she felt. She shook her head and chuckled, "You like collecting pocket knives, Riken-sama?" She then felt his restrained excitement as he heard the words.

Riken felt his usual composure fizzle when he realized just how limited his range of stocked conversational topics truly was. The topic of knives had helped him get through long hours of night watches when he had to at least follow through a conversation with his partner in order to stay awake. While he had the urge to converse with Susukihotaru now, he suddenly realized the triviality of his prized pocket knives. "It is a hobby, but I do not wish to bore you," his serious voice was softened by the smile in his eyes.

Susukihotaru opened her mouth to say that she didn't think the topic would be boring at all until she remembered that indeed she knew very little of pocket knives. She then briefly lifted her hand away from his and reached up to remove his hat from her head. She gently placed it on top of his coat in between the two of them and then she reached up to touch his temples.

"You must be careful, Riken-sama. You must not hurt your head."

It took a few seconds before the realization dawned on him. "Stories from my cap?" an amused expression suddenly lightened up his face and for a moment she felt the warmth rush from Riken down to her veins.

"Eh! I'm sorry Riken-sama, I didn't mean to embarrass you," her apology contradicted the twinkle in her eyes. She meant it at least half-heartedly, Riken knew that much; but he wondered if she had seen all those clumsy moments he had even before he remembered them. She tried to hold back a chuckle as she quickly withdrew her hand and pressed it against her lips.

In a moment of playfulness, he took his cap and placed it atop her head once more. "Now, about pocket knives," he started with a stern tone, "Well… I think I know more about that subject than the height of most overhanging cabinets and doorframes."

"Riken-sama!" Susukihotaru finally gave in and giggled. "Instead of pocket knives and doorframes," she stopped and adjusted the cap in her head before she turned to face him fully. "Do you know why rainbows appear?" she asked, her eyes light with innocent cheerfulness. He shook his head as his lips moved slightly, unable to resist her infectious smile. Seeing the blithe curiosity his eyes, she then moved closer and whispered, "because magical things happen in the rain."

"Magic?" Riken asked in that quiet tone of his. He continued to smile ever so slightly, yet the curiosity in his eyes prodded her to elaborate further.

"Yes, magic," Susukihotaru continued to whisper as though intimating a secret.

He looked at her with a quizzical expression and for a moment, she wondered if he had no idea as to what she was talking about. "Riken-sama, do you not believe in magic?

It took him a while to reply, though hints of a smile remained on his lips. "There are many things in the world that I do not, and probably cannot understand." He looked away for a second with a thoughtful expression in his eyes as he added, "And yet they exist."

She followed his line of sight and stared at the rain outside their temporary shelter. She had not given it much thought before as she always thought that magic was not something she had to think about. Yet Riken seemed to ponder on her question so deeply, that she started to wonder about it as well.

"Some people think we are products of magic," She murmured, with a tinge of sadness in her voice. Of course she knew some people likewise thought of them as mere _aberrations_ of nature, as they were neither human nor spirit.

Riken quickly shifted his gaze back at her when he heard the trepidation in her voice. He was just about to reach out to comfort her when her expression suddenly blossomed into a grin. She leaned in closer as she shook her head, seeming to ward off her negative thoughts. "Riken-sama, what do you think about magic?"

Though the answer was already in his mind, it took him a while to give her his reply. He wondered if she could read it in his eyes; he wondered if she would understand.

"Magic is … magic." Seeing confusion in her bright amethyst eyes as she tilted her head slightly, he continued, "it is a mystery, yet something better understood as something one can never understand" He stopped for a few seconds once more as he tried to grasp the words. Yet in the end, all he could say was, "I did not believe in it until …"

Until…? Susukihotaru blinked, thinking he would say more. Instead he stood up and walked towards the side of the bridge. He folded his sleeve and reached out his hand to feel the rain from outside their temporary shelter.

He continued to stand there, leaving his answer at that.

_Magic is … magic…. I did not believe in it until…_

What was that answer? What about their conversation? What about his thoughts on magic?

_Perhaps he really did not give it much thought after all,_ Susukihotaru concluded as she stood up and gingerly lifted his coat and dusted it off. She shook her head in an effort to rid herself of her disappointment and smiled at him once more once she reached his side.

Riken knew how rudely he dropped their conversation. He could have given her his answer yet he found that it soon led to thoughts, to feelings, that overwhelmed him and might just overwhelm her as it was.

Was it her eyes? Was it her closeness to him? _Was it really the magic_?

She asked such a simple question which he could have simply answered. Yet his heart just muddled everything. Before he knew it, he found himself answering a completely different question altogether. Before his mind could wander even further, he wished the feeling of the rain pelting his hands would help him find his center.

She noticed the cloud over the azure of his eyes and she wondered what may have caused it. She was about to reach out to him to find out when she stopped and hesitated, realizing he might have been trying to hide it from her as he stood there with his hand touching the rain. What had she done to trouble him so?

Riken looked to his side and quickly saw the concern in Susukihotaru's eyes.

"Susukihotaru … I…"

He felt even more tongue tied as he saw her clutching her hands, as if restraining herself from touching him. Instinctively, he moved his hands to touch her, yet the cold rain reminded him of his predicament. He looked down before he looked to his side and focused on the raindrops that got caught and yet just as easily slipped through his fingers. "The rain… the magical things that happen in the rain…"

Puzzled by his murmurings, Susukihotaru gingerly moved her sleeve and slowly, hesitantly reached out to feel the cold rain upon her own hands as well. She jumped back slightly, jolted by the almost biting sensation it brought to her dainty hands. They stayed in the same position for a few minutes until she started to feel the need to clench and unclench her hands to ward off the cold.

They stayed in that position in comfortable silence, until Riken suddenly uttered:

"Just now…It cast a spell…"

Susukihotaru's ears twitched slightly in surprise at the sound of his deep voice just when her ears had adjusted to incessant hum of the falling rain. She looked up and sought his face and she was doubly surprised to see his expression change to a more tranquil one as he gazed at something that seemed so far away. He said something about casting a spell, and yet it was she who felt enchanted by his clear azure eyes.

"Riken-sama?"

Slowly, subtly, both his eyes and lips moved in sync and a soft chuckle escaped his lips. He looked at her finally and said, "the rain, it just cast a spell."

She looked back at the rain as it fell upon her hands and frowned; nothing… she felt nothing but the feeling of coldness in her hands.

She felt nothing.

Susukihotaru gasped as the realization dawned on her. She neither felt, nor could read anything about the rain. How could something so tangible, so animated, so _magical,_ be so simple? There was no hidden story to tell. There was nothing unseen that only she could see with the use of her unique gift. It was what it was. It was the rain – and with her touching it, she was just Susukihotaru, plain and simple. She felt the rain in the same manner as Riken did, no more, no less.

The thought that she is able to feel something as any other being could - as the man beside her could - just overwhelmed her.

Riken saw the passing emotions in Susukihotaru's eyes and felt the warmth swelling in his chest in stark contrast to the biting cold he was starting to feel at his fingertips. "You are right about the magic after all."

She looked at him with unshed tears in her eyes and yet there was not even a trace of sadness in her face. Instead her eyes and her lips moved wider into a grin. He had never seen her so happy before that he felt something hard tug at his chest. Just when he thought he could not take any more, she laughed and the lighthearted sound lifted his spirit even further. Without warning, suddenly, playfully, she drew in her wet hand and sprinkled water towards his direction before she sprinted off into the rain.

"Susuki-" panic, frenzied, he quickly ran after her, not knowing whether he should carry her back under the rickety old bridge or if he should join her game. Of course he was powerless under her spell and he couldn't help but stay under the rain with her.

"Riken-sama!" she barely managed to say his name coherently as she continued to laugh gaily, almost looking like an enraptured nymph. She twirled around in the rain, as though she sought to embrace as much of it as she could. "So this is how it feels like…"

"What do you mean?" he asked as he tucked his hat more firmly on her head, in an instinctive yet futile effort to protect her from the elements.

"I cannot feel anything … yet I think I feel the same way as you do… right now… under this rain."

_Feel the same way as you do… right now… under this rain_

Riken's eyes widened at her answer. Does she really? Does she really feel the same way?

He looked up and felt the rain pelting his head, his face, and his body. He closed his eyes and _felt the rain_ just as she had mentioned it. This rain was not the torrential rain he had expected from where they stood earlier in their temporary shelter. The tiny rain drops felt almost like a caress, albeit cold, yet it was nothing like the harsh waterfalls he had trained under. It was then that he understood what she meant. She felt nothing. Touching the rain made her feel completely human without any hidden gifts. She touched something that was unknown to her.

"_I can't sense what you are feeling… my own heart is beating too fast… so I cannot tell…"_

It reminded him of that moment, not too long ago, when she last told him that she could not feel anything, yet felt her heart beating so quickly the same way as his did. It was that moment that he too felt human, more human than he could possibly know. It was that moment that he started to believe, when he finally understood what magic was.

He opened his eyes and looked at her once more and smiled as he saw her doing a little dance under the rain. Quietly, tenderly, he absorbed the sight, willing himself to keep that image of her, so carefree and so beautiful, in his heart forever. Perhaps at that moment she felt the same way as she did back then. He moved his hand to his chest and realized that he too felt it once more… then again, since that day, perhaps since the day he met her, his heart never wavered. His feelings for her just grew and grew.

"Riken-sama!" She said his name as loudly as she could as she waved her hands gaily at him. She quickly moved to where he was and just as quickly, his feet moved to meet her halfway. Yet just when they were about to reach each other, a strap of her sandals snapped and Riken instinctively lunged to break her fall. Yet apart from her gasped surprise, she continued to smile at him as she leaned against his arm.

"Let's go home," Riken chuckled as he shifted her in his arms. He turned around, kneeled forward then motioned for her to hop on his back.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally wrapped her arms around his shoulders and allowed herself to be lifted on his back. She held on tightly as her broken sandals dangled from her hands. They continued their trek in silence though the smiles never left their faces. The cold rain was a stark contrast to the warmth they gave each other.

As the excitement slightly faded from her heart, Susukihotaru felt a familiar feeling emanating from Riken as she held on tightly to him. It was strange, and yet so dear. She started to wonder if it were truly his feelings or her own that she felt in her heart.

"Riken-sama…" she whispered his name and he in turn felt the tingling all over his body at the sound of her voice.

"What is it?" he asked, turning his head slightly towards her direction.

"You did not finish what you were going to say earlier," she started as she eased her grip on his shoulders. "You said that you did not believe in magic until… until what?"

"…. Ah." He stopped as he let out another chuckle. He did not answer her, though she knew he heard his question. It was strange, although she could feel his answer, even as she touched him, all she could feel was the happiness and the warmth in his heart.

He bent down to let her back into her feet and Susukihotaru finally noticed that they've reached the gate of the Youjinsha. She looked up innocently at him and wondered if she would still learn the answer to her question.

He stood under the small roof of the Youjinsha's gate and gently pulled her beside him. With his hands still clutching her shoulders, he looked at her with his clear azure eyes and the soft smile in his face. Her heart beat madly in her chest once more, making it hard to focus on what he was trying to tell her.

His mouth moved as though to speak but still her heart, ironically enough, obscured her view. She closed her eyes to clear her thoughts, to hear his thoughts.

_I did not believe until… I realized that I do love you. _

He felt her gasp against his lips as he finally closed in and stole her first kiss.

_I did not believe until I realized that there is a chance that you love me too._

She opened her eyes and saw him near, so near that she had to close her own eyes just to keep her chest from exploding. Not knowing what else to do, she moved her own lips and returned his kiss.

"Susukihotaru…" He clutched one of her hands in his and placed it against his chest, "You understand, don't you?"

"Riken-sama… I…." she trailed off as tears welled up in her eyes once more. She never felt this way before, neither had she touched anyone or anything with the same kind of feelings. So this was what it was… "Yes," Susukihotaru whispered with a smile in her heart. "I feel the same way as you do."

He looked up and saw the rain, knowing that he'll never look at it, feel it, the same way again.

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><p>Author's Notes:<p>

This fic stayed quite a while in my computer's memory drive simply because I didn't know how to end it

–sweatdrop- Sorry the ending is a bit abrupt, I'll work on it when the inspiration hits me. I welcome any suggestions you may have! I haven't written for so long that I feel so rusty. Please do forgive me.

I read that there is a Japanese folk belief that when it's sunny and then it suddenly rains (a sunshower), it's called "Kitsune no yomeiri" or a fox's wedding. (In our country we have a similar belief, but instead of Kitsune, it's half-man-half-horse creatures getting married. Haha go figure.) So anyway, whenever it rains when it's sunny and a rainbow appears, it's somehow related to creatures getting married, hence connected to LOVE. Imagine that. Well anyway, hope you liked it. Belated Happy New Year to all! Go forth and seek magic!


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